2. 2
This paper explores the evolving structure of educational spaces and workspaces as
‘learning spaces’. In this context, ‘learning space’ is defined as a space designated for
the purpose of learning. Learning can be both formal – programmed, curriculum based,
delivery orientated – and informal, be it independent or through peer gatherings that
are task or interest related. The paper will examine how learning spaces in educational
institutions and workplaces facilitate the growth and development of human capital and
learning in response to changing market factors. Case studies will exemplify the critical
elements that address user needs within the culture and design of learning spaces.
The paper will also examine the emerging incarnations of learning spaces that exist
outside workplaces and educational institutions. These unconventional spaces and
experiences will be critiqued in relation to the market factors that have driven their
Outline
Stephanie Bhim is a design trends researcher based in Barcelona (Spain), she is
passionate about creating design strategies that elevate the experience of public spaces
for visitor benefit and market return. Her strategies are underpinned by research that is
future forward, market focused and human centred.
Her inner ‘geek’ loves to keep learning and continually seek collaborations in design and
knowledge-based fields. Previously, she has lectured at the University of Technology
(Sydney) in the Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation course and is a regular
presenter and commentator on future trends in design thinking, the importance of play in
the innovation process, and connective design in public places.
Leanne Sobel is a design strategist with a background in communication design
based in Sydney (Australia). Over her professional career she has worked in a diverse
set of roles including: design and client management, design education, design research,
design and brand strategy, and marketing. Her passion is ‘design thinking’ work
methodology and how they can be used to facilitate collaboration across industries. In
addition, she is interested in exploring design, research and communication projects for
creative communities, business, and government in Australia.
She holds a Masters of Management specialising in Marketing Management from the
Macquarie Graduate School of Management (Sydney).
FionaYoung is a Practice Director at BVN, a cutting-edge architectural practice with
a strong commitment to Research and Development based in Sydney (Australia).
Motivated by her particular passion for education as the key to a better world, Fiona has
worked in architectural design in projects ranging from K-12 schools, universities and in
the cultural sector.
She has an ongoing interest in the development of learning environments. This originated
from her work as an exhibition designer from 1998 to 2001, when she was a member
of interdisciplinary design teams which created exciting, engaging and beautiful public
places of learning that respond to, and engage today’s and tomorrow’s learners.
The Authors
3. 3
We are moving into an era of the knowledge economy, where science, technology
and knowledge-based industries are dominating and disrupting markets, whilst
the traditional economic industries, such as manufacturing and mining, begin to
take the back seat. Consequently, the skills and knowledge required to succeed in
global and local economies of the future must change. Education and the drive for
innovation are becoming the key focus for governments, industries, businesses and
individuals. A report by Deloitte’s Center for the Edge suggests enterprises should
develop institutional innovation approaches that are facilitated by the implementation
of spaces that enable learning, collaboration and informal knowledge sharing (Hagel
& Seely Brown 2013). In support of this, we are seeing the emergence of various
types of learning spaces in progressive educational institutions, workplaces and even
in unconventional areas, such as retail and social settings. These three areas will
be critiqued in the following sections in the context of their ability to promote the
development of human capital and learning in both their culture and spatial design.
Introduction
4. 44
The design of the traditional school typology, dating back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries,
reflects a pedagogy in which teachers impart knowledge and students passively receive, largely
through rote memorisation. This was based on an industrial model of schooling, with a primary
goal to provide students with basic skills needed to participate in an industrial workplace.
Today, there is increasing emphasis on skills and competencies required by young people to ‘allow
them to engage with and participate in the rapidly-changing world of today and tomorrow’ (P21
Partnership for 21st Century Learning 2015). United States-based P21 – an organisation founded in
2002 as a coalition bringing together the business community, education leaders and policymakers
to position 21st century readiness at the centre of American K–12 education – notes that ‘to
cope with the demands of the 21st century, people need to know more than core subjects. They
need to know how to use their knowledge and skills by thinking critically, applying knowledge to
new situations, analyzing information, comprehending new ideas, communicating, collaborating,
solving problems, making decisions’ (P21 Partnership for 21st Century Learning 2015). The New
South Wales Department of Education and Communities (NSW DEC), Australia, emphasises skills
required by young people to live, work and be successful in the 21st century as the 4Cs: creativity,
communication, collaboration and critical thinking (21st century skills for Australian students 2012).
Educational Spaces
5. 5
A 2015 OECD report, Schools for 21st-Century Learners,
based on data and comparative analysis from several
OECD publications, discusses changing approaches
to teaching so that students acquire the skills they need
to thrive in competitive global economies. These include
regrouping teachers, regrouping learners, rescheduling
learning and widening pedagogical repertoires (TALIS
2013 Results: An International Perspective on Teaching
and Learning 2014) (PISA 2012 Results In Focus: What
15-year-olds know and what they can do with what they
know 2013).
Whilst these approaches can and do take place
in traditionally designed school environments, these
types of spaces may not optimally support activities
beyond what they were originally designed for. Similar
to contemporary workplace design, in which spatial
design supports and fosters the types of activities
and relationships desired to optimise relationships
and behaviours in a new workplace culture, fresh
approaches to school design can better enable new
pedagogies. Exemplars referred to in this section
demonstrate how their spatial configurations optimise
innovative approaches to learning.
Regrouping teachers addresses the deprivatisation
of the classroom to a more collaborative working
environment. Collaborative planning, team teaching
and professional development creates a more dynamic
learning environment both for teachers and students.
Enhanced visibility between learning spaces enables
opportunities for teachers to demonstrate and see
different mixes of learning and pedagogy.
The Zone is a dedicated home for Years 5 and 6
students at Northern Beaches Christian School’s
(NBCS) K–12 campus in Sydney, Australia. The Zone
accommodates 180 students collaboratively taught by
six teachers. Formerly housing traditional classrooms
and the school’s library, the building was refurbished in
2011 to be a more open and connected learning space
over two levels. Large open areas are complemented by
smaller learning spaces, all of which are visible through
glass walls enabling students and teachers to see others
engaged in learning throughout the space. A dedicated
collaborative work area for teachers is similarly visible,
enabling students to see teachers working together, and
by doing so demonstrating what they teach. This area is
bounded by retractable glass walls which allow teachers
to completely remove the separation between teacher
and student areas emphasising the notion of everyone
being a worker and a learner.
Regrouping learners, by taking a ‘stage-not-age’
approach, in which learners are grouped by ability rather
than age, recognises the individual student and their
differing levels of ability and interests.
Peer-to-peer learning is also better supported
through this approach, as well as fostering improved
social relations and as a result minimising bullying.
Regrouping learners into smaller groups within larger
groups through ‘house’ systems, or ‘home bases’ in
a ‘Schools Within Schools’ model can also improve
learning contexts through scalable environments better
supporting a sense of belonging and community.
(Dewees 2007)
The Kunskapsskolan school system, which began
in 2000, is the leading independent school operator
in Sweden. The Kunskapsskolan Education program
(KED) is based on a structure that recognises every
student as a unique individual with each having a
personalised education program. Together with their
teachers and parents, students set long-term learning
and attainment goals for the year ahead. Each student
has a teacher who acts as a mentor to help them plan
their learning in order to achieve their learning goals.
In Odd Eiken’s 2011 article ‘The Kunskapsskolan: A
Personalised Approach to Education’, he imparts that
Kunskapsskolan’s schools are typically located in facilities
which were originally built for other purposes, i.e. former
office buildings, factories or shops. These decisions
around school locations consider the proximity of
community facilities which students can access such
as libraries and recreational facilities. Consequently,
these spaces are not included within the design of
Kunskapsskolan schools.
The Zone, Northern Beaches Christian School
Sydney, Australia
6. 6
Rescheduling learning refers to changing the structure
of the school day, shifting from shorter periods of
time on multiple subjects each day to fewer subjects
over longer periods, enabling greater flexibility within
lessons, and importantly, to enhance opportunities
for deeper learning. This, in particular, is of benefit for
schools that move away from a standard subject-based
curriculum to interdisciplinary and project-based
learning (PBL).
High Tech High is an innovative collection of charter
schools in Southern California. The educational model
is firmly rooted in PBL, where students acquire
academic knowledge while picking up real-life skills,
such as collaboration and critical thinking. Students see
only five teachers over the course of a week, often in
double periods of up to two hours per day. By doing
so, students build stronger relationships with their
teachers, are able to go more deeply into projects and
encounter less scheduling issues around field trips and
guest speakers. PBL is very similar to the structure of
workplace projects, and we can see High Tech High
as an excellent exemplar of a pedagogy system that
prepares its students with workplace capabilities.
Widening pedagogical repertoires reflect that learners
need to experience a range, not a single method or
pedagogy (Dumont, Istance & Benavides 2010). This can
include whole-group, teacher-led learning, as well as
self-directed inquiry and interdisciplinary PBL.
Incorporating real-life problems and hands-on
experiences can be engaging for students who
value the authenticity of relevant, complex and
challenging problems tied to the real world.
The d.schools at Stanford University and Potsdam,
Germany, take this approach, bringing together students
and faculty in engineering, medicine, business, law,
the humanities, sciences and education to collaborate
on real-world problems. Projects are developed in
partnership with corporate, non-profit and government
organisations, giving students direct contact to
partners, stakeholders, users and experts to explore
real problems. Through a process called design thinking,
students combine creative and analytical approaches to
better understand contexts, define problems, and from
there iteratively develop potential solutions by testing
in the field with users (d. Hasso Plattner | Institute of
Design at Stanford 2015).
Technology also offers opportunities to widen
pedagogical repertoires by providing access to a greater
body of information not previously accessible, creating
immersive or simulated experiences and enabling online
communication and knowledge sharing. Technology
has also fuelled the Maker Movement, a contemporary
culture or subculture representing a technology-based
extension of DIY culture. Maker spaces are hands-
on environments enabling users to explore a range
of engineering-oriented pursuits, such as electronics,
robotics, 3D printing, CNC tools, as well as more
d.school, Berlin, Germany
7. 7
The Mind Lab by Unitec, New Zealand
traditional activities, such as metalwork, woodwork
and traditional arts and crafts.
There is evidence of declining rates of student
participation in science globally, with international
research suggesting that 75 per cent of the fastest
growing occupations globally require science skills
and knowledge.
In response to this, schools are introducing Maker
Spaces in an attempt to attract students to STEM
learning (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)
(Chubb 2015; Kennedy, Lyons & Quinn 2014).
Initiated with an objective for students to explore and
gain skills in science and technology, The Mind Lab by
Unitec began as a start-up in Auckland, New Zealand
in late 2013 to teach students robotics, 3D design,
electronics, stop animations and augmented reality,
among other skills. School students visit as part of
school excursions during term time, or independently
during the holidays to tinker, play and learn. This
venture has been so successful it is now backed by
Unitec, a leader in applied vocational education with
further sites now open in Gisbourne, Wellington and
Christchurch. In addition to classes offered to children,
teachers can undertake professional development
through a postgraduate qualification specialising in
digital and collaborative learning. This program of study
introduces new teaching methodologies for active
class engagement, practical knowledge of digital tools
and exposure to emerging pedagogical practices that
enhance the learning experience for today’s learner
(The Mind Lab by Unitec 2015).
The examples noted above demonstrate a shift from
the traditional learning environment to a more disruptive
innovation model (Leadbeater & Wong 2010). In formal
contexts, i.e., within school, such as NBCS The Zone,
Kunskapsskolan and High Tech High, timetables are
personalised, assessment is less exam focused, classes
are organised by ability and interest rather than age,
and there is more collaboration through peer-to-peer
teaching and learning.The interdisciplinary, project-based
and authentic learning experiences offered by the
d.school within Stanford University similarly depart from
a traditional to a more disruptive approach to learning.
In informal contexts, outside of school, spaces such as
The Mind Lab by Unitec, are demonstrating the impact
of independent enterprises that supplement learning
offered within school, and which in turn are influencing
school systems. Of note are the physical and spatial
characteristics of all of these examples, which are less
formal, more open and diverse, and as a result actively
support collaborative work between students and
their teachers.
8. 88
The necessity for continual learning within the workplace is a growing priority that is shaping
workplace culture and design. Advances in digital technology and the relaxation of global economic
policies are major contributors to market changes and evolving consumer needs. To maintain a
competitive advantage, individuals and enterprises need to be agile, adaptable and continually
engage in opportunities to enhance their knowledge and learning (Harteis and Billett 2008).
A report by the Deloitte Center for the Edge (2013) suggests enterprises should develop institutional
innovation approaches that are facilitated by the implementation of spaces that enable learning,
collaboration and informal knowledge sharing. The case studies to follow are exemplars of such
an approach and can be viewed as workplaces that are responsive, connected and adaptive in their
culture and spatial design. There is also a growing trend of workspaces located outside traditional
work environments that are catering for an increasingly mobile and collaborative workforce.
Workspaces
9. 9
Formal and informal knowledge sharing between
work peers has been identified as a highly beneficial
mode of learning that has creative and productive
outcomes. While this is arguably more likely to occur
within traditional organisations, the growing number
of ‘solopreneurs’ require access to workspaces and
networks that can boost their capabilities. Co-working
spaces are increasingly emerging to support this
independent workforce. One particular example is
Factory in Berlin, a tech-specific co-working space
that provides a number of learning opportunities for
its tenants. Factory curates its tenant mix to ensure a
range of companies in different stages in their business
cycle. Some companies are emerging and others firmly
established (including tech giants Twitter, Mozilla and
Soundcloud). Similar to Kunskapsskolan’s ‘regrouping
of learners’, this strategic mix enables knowledge
sharing across experience levels, allowing start-ups to
garner business insights and seasoned professionals to
capture fresh ideas. Jeremy Bamberg, the community
and outreach manager at Factory, says that ‘elevator,
restaurant and bar conversations are treasured elements
of this space’ and imparts that in developing a thriving
network of tech start-ups, a community culture has
formed. While many co-working spaces will have a series
of programmed events, Factory takes a more targeted
approach to learning. Start-ups are given the autonomy
to host and/or request events that are directly relevant
to their needs rather than passively accepting content
that may tread familiar territory. All of this provides a
distinct difference in attracting and fostering a truly
collaborative and dynamic learning and working hub.
And while co-working spaces bring together like-minded
individuals, traditional corporations are faced with the
proposition of producing environments that will ensure
learning occurs internally.
Informal knowledge sharing via chance encounters
or ‘collisions’ is increasingly being recognised as a
way in which valuable learning can occur.
A 2014 Harvard Business Review article, titled
‘Workspaces That Move People’, reports that informal
interactions result in increases in innovation and
productivity. Jon Fredrik Baksaas, the CEO of
telecommunications company Telenor, views the
company headquarters ‘not as real estate but as a
communication tool’. Since reconfiguring the workspace
to a hot-desk format, improvements in communication,
accelerated decision-making and even a shift to
‘an attacking mindset’ followed. This represents a boost
in personal confidence and communication skills and,
in turn, positive business outcomes.
Workspace configuration is not a one-size-fits-all
game and must be attuned to employee needs and
organisational policy if certain outcomes and capabilities
are to be met. The 2013 Gensler Workplace Survey
reveals that ‘balanced workplaces’ are the most
effective environments. These are defined as spaces
that prioritise both collaborative spaces and quiet
areas for individual focus. Employees working in these
environments indicate that their spaces are 22 per
cent more effective for focus and 17 per cent more
effective for collaboration compared with workplaces
that do not support both (2013, p.13). One may infer that
providing employees with the opportunity for secluded
independent work results in more effective learning,
the flow-on effect of which is an enhanced contribution
in collaborative scenarios.
The global commercial real estate services firm
CBRE’s Los Angeles office is a workplace that offers
the aforementioned balance and flexibility as a means
to boost collaboration, performance and satisfaction.
Rather than having assigned workspaces, employees
can choose from 15 different space typologies on a daily
basis, thus selecting the one that is appropriate to the
particular activities of a given day. Spaces range from
lounges and collaboration spaces to acoustically treated
individual enclaves. CBRE has supported this mobility
by creating a paperless office and supplying employees
with work-from-anywhere mobile technology (Hoskins).
This is an exemplar of a highly attuned approach to
a productive workspace that views collaboration as
one component of learning, a component that is best
supported by an aligned organisational policy, response
to individual needs and appropriate supportive technology.
Factory, Berlin, Germany
10. 10
Similar to CBRE, Arup’s Sydney office is piloting a number
of activity-based working spaces (ABW) that are directly
aligned to the consultancy’s engineering culture. One of
the key spaces is the ‘workshop’, a modular space that
contains informal collaboration spaces, areas devoted to
research and knowledge sharing, meeting spaces for small
groups and firm-wide events, as well as bespoke pieces,
such as a 3D printing hut and a community table with
integrated Lego boxes.The Arup website imparts that the
intention for these adaptable, writable, modular spaces
is to inspire staff to participate, share, design, make and
cross-pollinate ideas between disciplines.The workshop
is gradually gaining popularity among employees and
has begun to influence new internal activities. One such
activity is ‘Arup Imagine’, which asks teams of employees
to devise and implement additional creative uses of
the space. One installation included a sculptural data
visualisation that mapped each staff member’s favourite
place and daily commute across Sydney. Arup’s research
and learning group, Arup University, also sits at the centre
of the studio (New workplace design for Arup’s Sydney
office 2015).This symbolically and literally communicates
the value placed on the integration of learning within a
workspace and strong commitment to the development
of human capital.
Innovation labs and incubators are another type of space
that is being integrated into workplaces to facilitate
learning and product development, both among the
internal staff as well as with external stakeholders,
strategic partners and customers. An excellent example
is the LinkedIn [in]cubator which strategically only
fosters ventures that can benefit LinkedIn’s customers or
employees. Every quarter, LinkedIn employees can pitch
an idea about a potential product or service offering to
the executive staff, including founder Reid Hoffman and
CEO Jeff Weiner. If the idea is successful, the employee
is paired up with an executive mentor, and allowed up
to three months to develop the project (The LinkedIn
Incubator 2013). Here we can see high-level learning
opportunities and experiences being embedded into the
culture and executed through direct mentorship from the
company’s experienced professionals.
It can be seen that the most effective workspaces that
foster learning are those that reinvent the traditional
workplace model by encouraging and supporting individual
autonomy through adaptive and responsive organisational
policy, flexible physical spaces and appropriate technology.
When individuals are allowed choice they feel empowered
to take charge of learning and development opportunities
(Pogue et al. 2013), such as curating learning programming
attuned to individual needs, throwing themselves into
creative company projects as well as garnering the
confidence to build networks and engage collaboratively.
These qualities are the foundation for innovative outcomes.
As we will see in the following section, increased personal
autonomy in educational spaces and workplaces begins
to filter out into social areas, resulting in the initiation and
involvement in new learning experiences.
Arup Offices, Sydney, Australia
11. 1111
While we are seeing traditional educational and workplace environments that are
increasingly responsive, connective and adaptive, learning spaces with similar
characteristics are emerging in a number of unconventional spaces and in a variety
of operating models.
The following section will critique informal ‘peer-to-peer’ learning, lifelong learning
and supportive networks as the emerging learning space typologies.
Emerging Learning Spaces
12. 12
Peer-to-peer learning can be defined as knowledge
sharing that occurs in semi-formal networks formed
in community circles. Where in workplaces we might
see rapid knowledge sharing and chance encounters
formed by physical space, peer-to-peer learning is often
enabled by online platforms that connect individuals.
The type of space that is used for learning is often
secondary, in that existing spaces (cafes, parks, libraries)
are often utilised for learning sessions, as opposed to
custom-designed spaces.
One particular online learning and social connection
platform is Konnektid, which has emerged in an effort
to harness the collective knowledge of persons across
age groups, ethnic backgrounds and professional
expertise. The Konnektid website says that ‘the potential
to learn anything is right in your own neighborhood’,
allowing everyone access to social capital (Konnektid
2015). The idea behind this online learning network
is to activate the knowledge of communities and to
encourage people to share their skills or expertise
with each other. In doing so, this model helps to ignite
a sense of community spirit. Founder Michel Visser
believes that engaging in this type of learning can
contribute to one’s success, both personally and in
the labour market (Konnektid launches new platform
to share knowledge 2014).
Another peer-to-peer learning organisation is Laneway
Learning. This is a program that engages the community
to hold classes in non-traditional learning environments,
such as cafes, bars or event spaces. With a mission
to make education ‘as accessible and inexpensive
as possible’, Laneway Learning courses are taught
by experienced members of the community or
professionals rather than qualified teachers. Courses
range from indoor gardening and pickling to sock
puppetry (Laneway Learning 2015).
In these peer-to-peer scenarios we can witness a
growing culture and confidence toward learning and
teaching.This could be attributed to the growing
innovation cultures in workplaces and the autonomy
given to individuals to curate their own learning
opportunities.
Turning now to lifelong learning, though individuals
have long sought to learn outside of compulsory
systems for their personal development, it is important
to note that the ways in which this occurs and the
underpinning motivations are changing. This paper
will explore two types of lifelong learning: upskilling
for career development and acquiring ‘life skills’ and
emotional intelligence.
In a career context, the continuing desire for lifelong
learning and changing market expectations are requiring
educational providers to think differently about how
they present their courses. This has opened the door
to educational experiences being staged in a range of
unexpected places through unconventional platforms.
Broader access to high-speed internet and the
proliferation of access to online learning have spurred
an ‘education by demand’ trend. This model, where
universities now compete with the likes of free online
course providers such as Coursera, gives aspiring
students access to greater options regarding what,
when and how they learn. This is education delivered
‘by convenience’ through very different fee models
– if they are not already free. General Assembly delivers
career-enhancing courses online or in small educational
facilities in cities around the world. It runs courses over
a variety of periods, with some lasting just weeks or
even hours.
A different form of lifelong learning is one that
favours ontology and the development of emotional
intelligence that allows one to navigate life. This is
a response to a society that is frazzled by constant
connectivity and rapidly evolving platforms that
continually shift interactions and protocols. To manage
this, new pedagogies seek to engender individuals with
assuredness in the face of constant change and engage
them as ‘persons not knowers’ (Gibbons et al.,1994;
Nowotny et al., 2001 cited by J. 2010).
The School of Life is an initiative led by mainstream
philosopher Alain de Botton that responds to this need
to develop emotional intelligence and does so through
Laneway Learning, Sydney, Australia
13. 13
cultural resources. Some topics include ‘how to find
fulfilling work’, ‘how to master the art of relationships’
and ‘how to find calm’. The School of Life operates in
eight locations worldwide and each offers a range of
classes, workshops and even psychotherapy sessions.
These ‘schools’ are run from high-street locations, each
including a cafe and retail store. As such, they remove
the stigma from tackling personal emotional issues and
the notion of where we traditionally believe education
and learning can occur. Interestingly, in an interview,
de Botton expresses that his team has ‘created a brand
in an area that used to be totally unbranded’ (Matousek
2013). The School thus attempts to ‘put learning and
ideas back to where they should always have been –
right in the middle of our lives’ (de Botton 2013).
In the 2004 article ‘Learning for an unknown future’,
author Professor Ronald Barnett speculates that
the long-term benefit of this investment in personal
development is likely to yield the ‘adaptability’,
‘flexibility’ and ‘self-reliance’ that the corporate
sector demands from graduate employees, and
thus these dispositions will have an economic and
performative value (Barnett 2004).
As we have seen from a number of examples previously
discussed, the capacity for businesses and individuals
to learn and perform highly is increased when there is
access to a supportive network or community of like-
minded individuals. This has been discussed in terms of
the internal operations of learning spaces; however,
a broader lens will note that there are emerging
networks managed and implemented by private property
developers and governments who have recognised the
value of work and educational spaces in their ability to
enhance the social vibrancy and economic prosperity
of an area.
One such example is the Cockpit Arts business
incubator for designer–makers and the nearby bespoke
retail destinations of Lamb’s Conduit Street (LCS) and
Rugby Street in Bloomsbury, London. Internally, Cockpit
Arts is a highly supportive organisation that nurtures
creative businesses to reach commercial viability and
sustainable growth. They provide learning resources
which include consulting services, online toolkits,
access to mentors and affordable workspaces. Cockpit
Arts also supports its creatives by hosting events that
leverage the bespoke tastes of the retail clientele of
Lamb’s Conduit Street. The regular ‘Open Studio’ events
allow customers to buy direct from the designer–makers
and attracts 11,000 visitors, giving them high exposure
to the community (Cockpit Arts | Making It 2015).
In a more strategic sense, Cockpit Arts forms part
of the creative proposition of Lamb’s Conduit Street
(LCS). A 2014 article from The Academy of Urbanism;
‘Lamb’s Conduit Street and Starbucks were never easy
bedfellows’ references a Here & Now interview with
Andrew Glover, partner at Farebrother, the chartered
surveyors responsible for managing the portfolio of
buildings in LCS. Glover imparts that the property
owners of LCS look to the ‘graduates’ of Cockpit Arts
to occupy their retail tenancies. They are selected
based on their commercial ‘fit’ within the street and
their potential to stay long term. It is also noted that
Farebrother have taken a long-term approach to asset
management, whereby they aim for maximum revenue
and limited voids rather than maximum capital return.
Thus, the letting policy focuses more on occupation
than pushing the rent beyond what is sustainable. On
an ongoing basis, this supportive network enables the
street to establish and maintain a unique sense of place
that allows its creative practitioners to flourish.
On a far greater scale, supportive networks can also
be viewed on the scale of cities and government
bodies. Knowledge sharing and learning are becoming a
concern for cities and nations in their efforts to remain
economically competitive into the future.
This is supported by the 2013 Gensler Workplace
Survey, which imparts that the workplace is not the
sole location for work, but is a vital connection among
myriad locations in which work happens. Today’s
knowledge work happens not just at the scale of people
and offices, but at the scale of buildings, cities and
ultimately the globe. Boston is one city that has looked
to innovation and company growth as an important
feature of the city’s economic plan. Over recent years
School of Life, London, UK
14. 14
the local government has supported the development
of an innovation district across 1000 acres on the
waterfront of South Boston. The mission of the district
is to harness existing knowledge and create further
opportunities for growth between enterprises and to
foster collaboration, shared innovation and sustainable
business practices. To facilitate this, a number of co-
working spaces, innovation labs and apartments with
work amenities have been developed. ‘District Hall’
is a building that anchors the district and serves as a
central meeting ground between organisations. The
hall has casual meeting lounges, ‘flexible use pods’,
conference and workshop spaces. Since its inception,
the Boston Innovation District has added over 5000 new
jobs in more than 200 new companies across the city.
Technology companies have contributed 30 per cent of
new job growth, 21 per cent of which are in creative
industries such as design and advertising, and 16 per
cent in greentech and life sciences (Boston’s Innovation
District 2015).
At the other end of the spectrum, developing nations
are also implementing learning networks and seeking
to democratise education. In Rio de Janeiro, the local
mayor and current government have invested heavily
in the building of six ‘Knowledge Plazas’ or ‘Knowledge
Spaceships’. These digitally geared educational facilities
are located in the city’s favelas and are seen as a way
of giving greater access to digital technology and thus
greater levels of education for the masses. It is this high
exposure to technology and learning programs that the
government hopes will bring about an end to the poverty
cycle. The pivotal point driving this ambitious outcome
is that the spaces will provide excellent educational
programs to underprivileged adults and children in
order to build skills and increase access to information,
which the government says is a ‘right that is owed to all
citizens’ (Booth 2013).
It can be seen that key areas of emerging learning
spaces are the informal and self-propelled experiences
that are supplementary to one’s core life activities, from
the miscellaneous lessons of Laneway Learning and
Konnectid or self-directed career upskilling of General
Assembly to online formats. This informality can be
attributed to both the operations (often being community
driven or self-directed) and also the spaces in which
these learning experiences occur – cafes, retail settings,
converted spaces. This deformalises learning, creating
a more relaxed and social learning experience where
individuals can build confidence that can be fed back into
the more formal environments of work and academic
spaces – thus boosting learning and interpersonal
capabilities overall. Though the discussed ‘supportive
networks’ are more formalised, their value is in their
ability to transform the landscapes of communities on
varying scales. Their inclusion in this section creates a
breadth in the scope of emerging learning spaces and,
in turn, the high level of accessibility and value placed on
learning in all tiers of society.
Knowledge Plaza, Brazil
15. 1515
In today’s knowledge economy and from the exemplars
discussed we can see that the implementation of
learning spaces in traditional educational institutions
and workplaces is being driven by a pursuit of innovation
as a means to remain competitive and equipped for
changing landscapes. As a way to draw connections
between the exemplars, their inherent innovation can
be critiqued through Leadbeater and Wong’s Education
Innovation Grid (2010). This grid suggests a framework to
improve learning through four basic strategies: improve,
supplement, reinvent and transform.
Formal learning refers to learning which takes place
within an ‘institutional’ environment, e.g., schools,
universities and traditional workplaces. Informal learning
takes place outside of these institutions and often
involves a wider community. Sustaining innovation refers
to innovation which improves or supplements existing
learning structures. Disruptive innovation refers to the
reinvention and transformation of existing structures.
Conclusion
FORMAL
LEARNING
INFORMAL
LEARNING
SUSTAINING
INNOVATION
IMPROVE SUPPLEMENT
DISRUPTIVE
INNOVATION
REINVENT TRANSFORM
Fig 1. The Education Innovation Grid 2010, Leadbeater, C.
Wong, A. Learning from the Extremes, Cisco Systems, Inc.
16. 16
Selected case studies referred to in this paper cluster
into three of the quadrants with a tendency towards
‘disruptive innovation’. Exemplars noted within education
and workplace typologies are largely disruptive models
of formal learning which reinvent existing systems
through personalised learning programs, peer-to-peer,
collaborative and informal learning. With goals to
connect and engage students in real-life scenarios,
examples shown in educational settings tend to focus
on interdisciplinary, project-based and authentic learning
programs. The learning spaces in this quadrant tend to
be informal in nature, with a diversity of larger and more
open, as well as smaller and more intimate spaces to
accommodate different learning settings. The Mind Lab
by Unitec is an interesting anomaly – whilst it originally
began as an independent (and disruptive) enterprise,
its success has attracted the attention of Unitec, an
institute of technology, and New Zealand’s largest trade
training provider. Now operating as a partnership, The
Mind Lab by Unitec provides further education through
professional development courses for teachers in the
form of a postgraduate qualification.
Emerging learning spaces have a tendency towards
informal learning. Case studies in this category which
supplement learning often have a focus on peer-to-peer
learning within the local community such as Konnectid
and Laneway Learning. The skills of communication
and collaborative work are seen to be critical for young
people entering the 21st century workforce, and these
‘soft skills’ are the main focus at the School of Life.
The final quadrant, where informal learning meets
disruptive innovation, addresses new ways to learn
new skills outside of formal structures. Examples in
this quadrant transform existing systems, largely through
the networked nature of the learning. Technology is a key
driver enabling many of the examples to flourish, such as
General Assembly and Coursera, allowing anyone around
the globe to enrol in their courses yet learn in their
own time. At the city scale, the Cockpit Arts business
incubator in London, and the Boston Innovation District
are both physical examples of how strategically designed
urban areas can support and foster learning, and create
thriving and sustainable communities through shared
spaces and programs which bring people together to
develop and learn.
The breadth and depth of case studies reinforces
education consultant Stephen Heppell’s notion that
we are moving out of the ‘information age’ and into
‘an age of learning’ (Heppell 2007). This is a time
where learning is omnipresent, highly visible and
accessible – where governments, businesses,
educational institutions and individuals are actively
engaging in new learning formats to navigate and
engage in our world’s changing landscape.
FORMAL LEARNING INFORMAL LEARNING
SUSTAINING
INNOVATION
IMPROVE SUPPLEMENT
The Mind Lab by Unitec
Konnectid
Laneway Learning
School of Life
DISRUPTIVE
INNOVATION
REINVENT
CBRE
Factory
LinkedIn
Arup
TRANSFORM
General Assembly
Boston Innovation District
Knowledge Plazas
Fig 2. The Education Innovation Grid: Education institutions, workplaces and emerging learning spaces
NBCS The Zone
Kunskapsskolan
High Tech High
The d.school
Coursera
Cockpit Arts
17. 17
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